Are you better to pick a lot of upsets or just go with the favorites when filling out an NCAA Tournament bracket?
Better ask someone else because this prognosticator hasn’t had much luck lately at picking who will win or lose in the men’s tourney.
So, here’s a crystal ball look, all picks are at the bottom of the column if you want to grade them, at what upsets might happen in this year’s tourney.
• Expect a No. 12-seed (California) to knock off a No. 5 (UNLV).
• Watch for two No. 10s (Oklahoma over San Diego State and Colorado against Illinois) to triumph vs. No. 7s seeds.
• Don’t be shocked if three No. 9s (Missouri, Wichita State and Villanova) upend No. 8s, respectively, Colorado State, Pittsburgh and North Carolina.
In this weekend’s games, don’t be surprised if No. 5 Oklahoma State takes out No. 4 Saint Louis, No. 5 Wisconsin defeats No. 4 Kansas State and No. 6 Arizona knocks off No. 3 New Mexico.
• In the Elite Eight, Wisconsin could stay on a roll and bring down No. 1 Gonzaga.
• A Final Four of two Big East teams (Louisville and Georgetown) and two Big 10 squads (Indiana and Ohio State) is probably not likely.
But, if you pick opposite these upset picks, your chances could be greater.
•••
It’s sort of neat to have coaches with direct Campbellsville ties involved in post-season action. It was really cool when Clem Haskins and the University of Minnesota made the Final Four. This year’s local celebrities for you to watch are:
• Matilda (Willis) Mossman has only been at Tulsa for two seasons, but the 1974 Campbellsville High School graduate directed her squad to the Conference-USA Tournament championship on Saturday and leads her team to a first-round NCAA Tourney game at No. 1 region seed Stanford on Sunday.
• Phil Cunningham, a Taylor County High graduate, is not new to the NCAA field since his tenure at Mississippi State. However, this is the first time he’ll be on a post-season bench as an assistant at Western Kentucky University when the Hilltoppers play top South Region seed Kansas at Kansas City on Friday.
• Former Campbellsville University head coach Travis Ford, the husband of Campbellsville native and former University of Kentucky stand-out swimmer Heather Brooks, and his Oklahoma State Cowboys are the No. 5 seed in the Midwest Region and with wins over No. 12 Oregon and No. 4 Saint Louis in San Jose would probably advance to meet No. 1 seed Louisville next Friday in Indianapolis.
• Austin Newton is a Campbellsville High School graduate and an assistant as his alma mater, Eastern Kentucky University.
The Colonels won in the CIT (CollegeInsiders.com Post-Season Tournament) on Tuesday at Gardner-Webb.